Women&#39;s nether garment



A. STEINHAUS WOMENS A ril 5, 1938.

NETHER GARMENT Filed March 20, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR a ATTORNEY.

A. STEINHAUS WOMENS April 5-, 1938.

NEITHER GARMENT Filed March 20, 1,936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 5, 1938 UNITED STATES WOMENS NETHER GARNIIENT Alfred SteinhausfDallas, Tex.

Application March 20,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to garments for women and it has particular reference to womens nether garments.

The principal object of the invention is to provide in a garment of the character specified, a construction making for greater comfort to the wearer, combined with features insuring against unsightly protuberances on the outer garments as a result of the rolling of portions of the undergarment. The garment of this invention has the prerequisite quality of snugly embracing the lower portion of the body and is even confined by elastic means about the legs, yet is lacking in the uncomfortable seams, elastic bands and the tendencyto crawl or roll in the crotch portion, which is common to the conventional and analogous types of garments.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved gusset which is constructed to accommodate the elastic medium employed in the present case to insure proper tension about the legs of the wearer of the garment, yet providing unusual comfort by reason of a fold made therein devoid of seams or bulges and which is in itself a reinforcement against undue wear, although additional reinforcement is effected by the provision of an inner liner of fabric.

With the foregoing objects as paramount, the invention has particular reference to its salient n features of construction, to become manifest as the description proceeds, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front view of a garment showing the improvements of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of the garment shown in Figure 1, showing a plan view of the gusset and the manner in which the leg elastic is amxed to the gusset.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing a modified form of gusset.

Figure 4 is a detail view of a pattern for a portion of a garment, showing in solid lines a further modified form of gusset, dotted to show the extended gusset, and

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing yet another form of gusset, dotted to show extension and also illustrating the limits of the elastic medium about the legs.

Continuing with a more detailed description of the drawings, references are primarily made to Figures 1 and 2, in which I designates the material of one side of the garment, which is, in most cases symmetrical with the pattern of the companion side.

In the pantie type of garment, it is most I936, Serial No. 69,824

essential to employ elastic in the lower portion surrounding the legs of the wearer. All known types of nether garments of this nature have elastic entirely surrounding the legs which lends to the discomfort of the wearer, since the elastic has a tendency to crawl upward. In this construction, the elastic 2 does not entirely embrace the legs, being terminated on either side of the crotch and dead ended to prevent the ends thereof from being exposed to cause discomfort i 'to the wearer. In addition tothis novel feature,

the gusset or crotch portion 3 is formed of a folded piece of material, affording a fiat surface lying snugly between the legs and is devoid of seams transversely of its ends aa which 'tend to chafe and crawl by friction caused by walking.

In Figures 1 and 2, it will be noted that the gusset 3 is substantially rectangular, and folded on lines a''a, the edges being sewed together-on line b. Thus that portion of the gusset or crotch portion, forming continuations of the leg portion of the garment, and lying directly between the legs of the wearer has no seams or hems and accordingly does not present an uncomfortable bulge or ridge, as explained above. Instead of entirely surrounding the margin of the leg portions, the elastic 2 is terminated at c, and concealed, in the sides of the gusset 3, where they are afiixed by the hems d (Figure 2) closing the said sides of the gusset.

Thus it will be seen that the ends of the elastic are concealed, yet their effectiveness continues in the gusset, contracting the latter, yet without bulge between the legs. If desirable, a liner 4 may be incorporated in the fold of the gusset or crotch portion 3, to reinforce the same.

Figure 3 is similar to the construction shown in Figures 1 and 2 but shows a different or modified form of gusset 5. This gusset is constructed from four pieces of material which are sewed together along seams e. In both this structure and the structure just described, short legs are afforded for the garment.

In the case of the structure shown in Figure 3, the elastic B is terminated at the outer or end seams of the gusset and there afiixed and concealed, hence, there is no discomfort in having the elastic continue between and entirely around the legs, since the gusset 5 affords the continuation of the leg portions.

Figures 4 and 5 show diagrammatic views of two different constructions of the gusset, yet without modification as to the peculiar disposition of the elastic contracting the leg portions.

In Figure 4, the solid and dotted lines combined illustrate the pattern for one side of a garment, the line 9 denoting a center fold. The leg elastic 8 is afiixed along the seam 9 and is dead ended at the seam H] which connects the gusset or crotch portion II to the part 1. It is apparent that upon folding the gusset I I along the line l2, which is indicated'by dotted lines, the opposite end [3 of the gusset may be sewed at M to the portion 1 to complete one-half of a garment, the other half being comprised of a piece of material identical in shape to the portion 1 and comprising the opposite and completing portion of the garment.

In Figure 5, a portion I5 is shown, one-half in solid and the other half in dotted lines, the portion being folded along line IS. The gusset I1 is similarly shown, one-half being in dotted and the other half in solid lines and disclosing a fold on line I8. In this as in the preceding views the leg elastic I9 is dead ended in the seam 20 securing the gusset l! to the body l5 of the garment.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the comfort of the wearer of the garment of the invention is insured by the fact that the elastic tending to contract the leg portions about the leg does not extend entirely around the leg and that the gusset is so constructed as to cause the same to lie fiat against the leg, yet yielding to the pull of the elastic. Moreover, it will be seen that the gusset in each instance may be varied in construction to accommodate demands for a great variety of leg lengths in the garment without departing from the spirit or intent of .the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a womans nether garment having a body portion and a gusset comprised of material folded upon itself to define a segment of a leg portion, and stitched only through its center as a continuation of a seam connecting the parts of said body portion to avoid stitching along the said folds, said gusset being disposed so that the unstitched portion of said gusset will form continuations of the leg portions of said garment to lie between the legs of the wearer thereof, and elastic means connected to the body portion and having its ends secured in the folds of said gusset to effect contraction of the leg opening of said garment.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a womans nether garment comprised of a body in sections and a crotch portion, the latter being comprised of material folded upon itselfi and centrally stitched to join its ends through the crotch of said garment and to avoid additional stitching, said crotch portion being situated with respect to said garment as to form continuations of the leg portions of said garment and to dispose the unstitched, folded ends thereof between the legs of the wearer of said garment, elastic means having its ends concealed in the ends of said folds and secured to normally contract the leg openings defined by said crotch portion and said elastic means.

3. As a. new article of manufacture, a nether garment having a crotch portion formed by a piece of material folded upon itself and stitched only through its center to join its contiguous ends in a line through the crotch of said garment, the unstitched edges of said crotch portion defining continuations of the leg conforming portions of said garment and disposed to lie parallel and between the legs of the wearer of said garment and elastic means having their ends secured to and terminating at the folded edges of said crotch portion and embracing the leg conforming portions of said garment to completely embrace the leg opening defined by said means and crotch portion jointly.

ALFRED STEINHAUS. 

